[Sugar-devel] [IAEP] [Marketing] [SoaS] Request for Artwork: Boot Screen

[Sebastian Dziallas]

Hi all,

looking at the wiki page, I'm really impressed - great work! :)

I also really like the idea of switching the logo color for each release 
- this shouldn't be hard and is an interesting approach.

Has there already been some kind of agreement on which version we're 
going to use for the LinuxTag release? Is the one with the progress bar 
something everyone could agree with?

And could I possibly get the .png files, so that I can compose a new 
snapshot with a preview of the new boot screen (we can still change it 
afterwards, but I'd like to have some snapshot to test it)?

Walter: Have you heard anything regarding the use of the XO in our boot 
screen? Is this okay with OLPC?

--Sebastian

Sean DALY wrote:
> Actually the logo color linked to a version idea was in my long mail
> the other day about communicating the version :-)
>
> I too think 2 changes a year will give us time to cycle through the
> twelve variants.
>
> To make that work, the actual place where the version number is
> communicated (Control Panel / About my computer) would need to have
> the matching color Sugar Labs (not just Sugar) logo.
>
> I like this progress bar boot screen because:
>
> * ultrasimple, unobtrusive, fits perfectly with Sugar HIG
> * bar is universally easy to understand, no possibility of confusion
> with graphic elements.
> * keeping logo around that long=strong branding, which is vital for
> Sugar to be recognized by name rather than just "the system" running
> on XOs, netbooks, etc.
>
> I miss the iconic ring treatment though.
>
> And, no matter how clean we would like it to be, we still need to
> address the questions of school/sponsor co-branding (if they have a
> logo, they won't feel like jst putting their name in grey) and distro
> co-branding.
>
> Perhaps we could solve those problems by putting them in the "About my
> computer" page as well? Awful as far as co-branding goes (partners
> would not be happy), but will keep boot minimalist and functional.
>
> For a shining example of how more-is-less packaging is ruinous, may I
> direct your attention to:
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUXnJraKM3k
>
> Sean
>
>
> On Thu, Jun 4, 2009 at 9:44 PM, Gary C Martin<gary at garycmartin.com>  wrote:
>> On 4 Jun 2009, at 16:35, Gary C Martin wrote:
>>
>>> On 4 Jun 2009, at 15:45, Sean DALY wrote:
>>>
>>>> Yes that would be very helpful I think
>>> I was just going to start tinkering again, I'll make an animated
>>> version of Eben's XO and progress-bar for evaluation.
>> Just uploaded an animated version showing Eben's boot with progress bar
>> treatment:
>>
>>
>>   http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Image:XO-sugar-boot-with-progress-bar.gif
>>
>> FWIW: +1 on Eben's suggestion for changing the colour of the Sugar logo for
>> each major new Sugar release. It nicely avoids what looks like jumping
>> through lot's of technical burning hoops of fire, trying to set up a boot
>> anim that dynamically changes to match the owners own colours (nice idea but
>> I think a big ask at this point in time).
>>
>> FWIW2: Just incase any one was wondering, the colour dot versions were based
>> on the 1-12 official Sugar Logo treatment colour pairs, i.e definitely not
>> not random :-)
>>
>> Regards,
>> --Gary
>>
>>>> If we can reach consensus by tomorrow and finish the actual PNG frames
>>>> over the weekend we will meet the deadline
>>>>
>>>> but, we need a volunteer to do the frames (unless Gary what you have
>>>> is nearly ready; my stuff is cut/pasted mockup no color control etc)
>>> Sure, getting a series of PNGs from any of my mock-ups is just a "save
>>> for web" away.
>>>
>>> Regards,
>>> --Gary
>>>
>>>> thanks
>>>>
>>>> Sean
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Thu, Jun 4, 2009 at 4:40 PM, Christian Marc Schmidt
>>>> <christianmarc at gmail.com>  wrote:
>>>>> I agree with Eben's points below...
>>>>>
>>>>> Maybe it would help if one of us mocked up the alternative he is
>>>>> describing?
>>>>>
>>>>> Christian
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On Jun 4, 2009, at 10:35 AM, Eben Eliason<eben.eliason at gmail.com>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> On Thu, Jun 4, 2009 at 10:31 AM, Eben Eliason<eben.eliason at gmail.com
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>> On Thu, Jun 4, 2009 at 7:24 AM, Sean DALY<sdaly.be at gmail.com>
>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>> http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Marketing_Team/Boot_Logo
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Christian - I myself prefer the "rays" to dots which I feel too
>>>>>>>> closely resemble networks in the Neighborhood view, confusion is
>>>>>>>> possible (networks being connected to at startup?)
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Fred - I'm willing to try that sunrise metaphor, tonight if I can
>>>>>>>> (travelling today)
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Re splash page with logo: in my next mockup I'll leave off the
>>>>>>>> example
>>>>>>>> school logo.and move that frame to the end. It might be better to
>>>>>>>> "reserve" a frame for customizable logo or message, before or
>>>>>>>> after
>>>>>>>> the Sugar spash page
>>>>>>> Yes, in that mockup the first screen is kind of overwhelming with
>>>>>>> several logos and a few pieces of textual information. At the same
>>>>>>> time, we tried very hard to eliminate the slideshow effect that
>>>>>>> feels
>>>>>>> (well, is) like a bunch of marketing material that detracts from
>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>> UI.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I think the Sugar logo should stand alone, so it reads
>>>>>>> powerfully, and
>>>>>>> then be replaced in short order by the XO. Perhaps we could
>>>>>>> entertain
>>>>>>> a text only solution to identifying the school, in gray beneath the
>>>>>>> sugar logo. Thoughts?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Version info: In fact I feel strongly about showing version
>>>>>>>> information... or its corollary, making it easy to find. Teachers,
>>>>>>> I think it's more important that we make it easy to find in the UI.
>>>>>>> Kids won't reboot that often, and it would be silly to reboot
>>>>>>> just to
>>>>>>> find that info.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> parents, admins, G1G1 donors unfamiliar with Sugar will not have
>>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>>> foggiest idea how to hunt down version information (Learners
>>>>>>>> might not
>>>>>>>> have trouble finding it - they will explore their machines ad
>>>>>>>> infinitum - but they can't be expected to know about
>>>>>>>> versioning). We
>>>>>>>> are about to embark on hundreds of thousands of XO-1.5s running
>>>>>>>> v0..84
>>>>>>>> which will coexist with a huge installed base of v0.82 (and many
>>>>>>>> earlier); SoaS with its simplified numbering scheme will (we
>>>>>>>> hope) sow
>>>>>>>> the seeds for preinstalled Sugar in distributions for education
>>>>>>>> projects. We may be deploying v0.86 at the end of the year...
>>>>>>>> aside
>>>>>>>> from how we manage the Activity compatibility matrix, we need to
>>>>>>>> make
>>>>>>>> such info *extremely* easy to track down for someone interested in
>>>>>>>> checking if Sugar + Activities are "up-to-date". Our strategy for
>>>>>>>> teacher buy-in is star marketing on Activities (see press
>>>>>>>> releases);
>>>>>>>> making Activity installation/upgrade simple this summer is part of
>>>>>>>> what we need to do to make SoaS possible in the classroom. Helping
>>>>>>>> users understand what version they have (of Sugar, of each
>>>>>>>> Activity)
>>>>>>>> is a key aspect of that.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I agree that it's unpleasant to see numbers at boot time
>>>>>>>> (especially a
>>>>>>>> datestamped snapshot number). Why don't we borrow an idea from
>>>>>>>> Apple?
>>>>>>> We basically have this already. We ust happen to have an XO in the
>>>>>>> center of the screen, instead of an apple icon in the upper left.
>>>>>>> The
>>>>>>> info is actually in the "About my XO" section of the settings,
>>>>>>> which
>>>>>>> might be one step too far. We could go back to an earlier design
>>>>>>> for
>>>>>>> the XO menu and have a direct "About my XO" menu item which jumps
>>>>>>> directly to the correct settings panel.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> We could also separate the "About my XO" panel from settings,
>>>>>>> removing
>>>>>>> it from the settings panel completely and showing it as it's own
>>>>>>> modal
>>>>>>> dialog accessible via an "About my XO" menu item.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I would be fine with either approach.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> They have a tiny apple icon in the upper-left corner of the
>>>>>>>> screen;
>>>>>>>> clicking on it opens a window with the processor, RAM and OSX
>>>>>>>> version
>>>>>>>> number. In addition to the "About my computer" section in the
>>>>>>>> Control
>>>>>>>> Panel, perhaps we could show the version in the Frame? The
>>>>>>>> bottom bar
>>>>>>>> has room I think.
>>>>>>> There's no need to expose this information directly. It will only
>>>>>>> be
>>>>>>> needed on occasion, and the Frame is designed for the information
>>>>>>> you
>>>>>>> want to carry with you all the time.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> When we start to get consolidated feedback, we will know if
>>>>>>>> difficult-to-find version info is a problem for Sugar / Activity
>>>>>>>> updaters or not. I feel sure it is and showing the version in the
>>>>>>>> Frame (the one-glance status communicator) seems to me a good
>>>>>>>> approach
>>>>>>>> which would let us skip info in the splash screen.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Nota: my idea would be for each version to change the Sugar logo
>>>>>>>> color
>>>>>>>> too... potentially allowing troubleshooters to ask "what color
>>>>>>>> is the
>>>>>>>> Sugar logo?" and match that to the version number.
>>>>>>> I would much rather see the logo change colors with each boot, but
>>>>>> I meant to take this back before sending, and forgot to. I actually
>>>>>> think changing the colors with each release is a pretty awesome
>>>>>> idea.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Eben
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> changing with each release is a pretty cool idea. I would support
>>>>>>> that. I think there are enough of combinations to make "wrapping
>>>>>>> around" a non-issue, as long as we only change the color for major
>>>>>>> releases (2 per year, on average).
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Finally, regarding the animation itself: I Think the gray dots are
>>>>>>> still the best option, and the clearest. They fit the style, but
>>>>>>> won't
>>>>>>> be confused with APs. If we can in any way manage it, coloring
>>>>>>> the XO
>>>>>>> in the child's chosen colors is really the way that color should be
>>>>>>> introduced. The colored dots seem to undermine the importance of
>>>>>>> that
>>>>>>> metaphor, for me. Everywhere else in the UI, color relates to
>>>>>>> identity; has meaning. (All the more reason to change the sugar
>>>>>>> logo
>>>>>>> colors with each release!) These randomly colored dots just don't
>>>>>>> seem
>>>>>>> fit within that concept.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Also, if no "dot" solution seems to gain consensus, we could go
>>>>>>> back
>>>>>>> to a simple progress bar, which is perhaps less interesting, but
>>>>>>> simple and clean and matches the UI.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Eben
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> thanks
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Sean
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On Thu, Jun 4, 2009 at 5:00 AM, Frederick Grose<fgrose at gmail.com>
>>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>> Please indulge me to make another pitch for the 'sunrise'
>>>>>>>>> metaphor for
>>>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>>>> growing ring.
>>>>>>>>> Using the same color locations, the ring would build from sunrise
>>>>>>>>> orange to
>>>>>>>>> midday yellow to afternoon greens and blues to dusky red-violets
>>>>>>>>> (perhaps
>>>>>>>>> the darker one last).  These are just common earth metaphors
>>>>>>>>> that might
>>>>>>>>> come
>>>>>>>>> to mind as children worldwide--who may have never seen a analog
>>>>>>>>> or
>>>>>>>>> digital
>>>>>>>>> clock--anticipate what may be waiting for them in their day
>>>>>>>>> ahead of
>>>>>>>>> them.
>>>>>>>>> The ring would also build from one foot, and end symmetrically
>>>>>>>>> on the
>>>>>>>>> other--a growth surrounding the nascent learner like a cover--a
>>>>>>>>> home--a
>>>>>>>>> safe
>>>>>>>>> shelter for learning or a shower of celestial opportunities.
>>>>>>>>> "Will I
>>>>>>>>> grow
>>>>>>>>> too like the graphic is suggesting?"
>>>>>>>>> OK, these are just potential metaphors...
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> On Wed, Jun 3, 2009 at 10:17 PM, Frederick Grose<fgrose at gmail.com
>>>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>> I like that a lot.
>>>>>>>>>> I'm with others on leaving the version number as well to the
>>>>>>>>>> 'About my
>>>>>>>>>> Computer' panel. (It can be referenced and then read as needed
>>>>>>>>>> after
>>>>>>>>>> booting, whereas the vanishing boot image just makes me
>>>>>>>>>> nervous about
>>>>>>>>>> writing down or memorizing a long number.)
>>>>>>>>>> The Green Hornet, would of course only appear on a 'Graphic
>>>>>>>>>> guidelines'
>>>>>>>>>> page for deployments and packagers.
>>>>>>>>>> I suggest you try this sequence:
>>>>>>>>>> 1. a short, blank white field (infinite potential)
>>>>>>>>>> 2. the small xo figure (just possibly me in a big universe)
>>>>>>>>>> 3. the building ring and figure (what might be building for
>>>>>>>>>> me? Will I
>>>>>>>>>> grow too as suggested?)
>>>>>>>>>> 4. the Sugar, and optional custom graphic,  pausing, usually a
>>>>>>>>>> machine-dependent variable time, allowing for reading (fixing
>>>>>>>>>> the name
>>>>>>>>>> of
>>>>>>>>>> this tool and those who built it for me)         Do we want a
>>>>>>>>>> gray
>>>>>>>>>> Sugar
>>>>>>>>>> Labs opposite the fedora remix?
>>>>>>>>>> (5. the living, playable, ready-to-open door to Learning--the
>>>>>>>>>> Sugar
>>>>>>>>>> Home
>>>>>>>>>> view.)
>>>>>>>>>> Thanks everyone!       --Fred
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> On Wed, Jun 3, 2009 at 8:50 PM, Sean DALY<sdaly.be at gmail.com>
>>>>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>> Fred - I have uploaded a new variant to the wiki:
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Marketing_Team/Boot_Logo#Eleven_Color_Ray_Variant.2C_Growing_XO_Avatar.2C_No_Prior_Outlines.2C_Starts_With_Logo_Splash_Page
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> On Tue, Jun 2, 2009 at 4:37 AM, Frederick Grose<fgrose at gmail.com
>>>>>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>> I mostly like it.  Seems to be close to what we want for now.
>>>>>>>>>>>> Please consider these adjustments:
>>>>>>>>>>>> 1.  No fine print (leave that for the 'About my Computer"
>>>>>>>>>>>> panel).
>>>>>>>>>>>> 2.  Scale the custom school graphic example (Green Hornet)
>>>>>>>>>>>> to fit
>>>>>>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>>>>>>> other
>>>>>>>>>>>> elements, leave out the fine print.
>>>>>>>>>>>> 3.  Let the rays grow incrementally to complete the ring (no
>>>>>>>>>>>> unfilled
>>>>>>>>>>>> place
>>>>>>>>>>>> holders).  I feel more anticipation and suspense from the ring
>>>>>>>>>>>> growing
>>>>>>>>>>>> without the preview, and more satisfaction of seeing the
>>>>>>>>>>>> completed
>>>>>>>>>>>> color
>>>>>>>>>>>> burst.
>>>>>>>>>>>>       Thank you!        --Fred
>>>>>>>>>>>> On Mon, Jun 1, 2009 at 9:33 PM, Sean DALY<sdaly.be at gmail.com>
>>>>>>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Here's the second mockup:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/Marketing_Team/Boot_Logo#Eleven_Color_Ray_Variant.2C_Growing_XO_Avatar.2C_Starts_With_Logo_Splash_Page
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> This version includes a logo/copyright splash page and a
>>>>>>>>>>>>> "growing"
>>>>>>>>>>>>> or
>>>>>>>>>>>>> "approaching" XO avatar.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Comments welcome please.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> thanks
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>> Sean
>>>>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>>>>>>>>> Marketing at lists.sugarlabs.org
>>>>>>>>>>>> http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/marketing
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
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>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
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